exclusevly breastfeeding, how do i pump for a day?

Question

I am pregnant with my second son. I breastfed with my first son for 7 weeks, and during that time i never left his side, so i never had to pump milk for a babysistter. I have a state exam coming up that is going to take all day some time after he is born for CNA. It is impotant to get my licence, but its also important for me to breastfeed considering i had to stop with my firt one. How do i exclusevly breast feed my son and have a baby sitter for the whole day? is it possible to pump that much milk? If not is it ok to give the baby formula just for that one day? I know nothing about freezing my milk either.

sorry to everyone that wrote me a response and i didnt get back to you sooner, i dint know how to expand my question, i just would like to thank everyone for thier advice, i will take these comments into consideration for when i have the baby, although i dont know how old the baby will be when i take my exam,i am sure everything will work out fine though. thanx again ;)

Answer 1

Pumping for the day will be easy....many working moms do it. Just try to pump whenever you would normally feed your baby. If you can't do it exactly at that time then try to pump every 3 hours or so. If you think you will be pumping more often then consider buying an electric pump...the manual ones really don't work. If you just google "storing breast milk" you will find thousands of sites with good information about what to do with the pumped milk. If you don't feel like storing it, throw it out. Consider feeding your baby formula for the day while you are away. Otherwise, start pumping before the actual exam date and store it....that way the baby can have breast milk while you are gone. Good luck on your exam!!!

Answer 2

Any idea how old your child will be when you will need to take this exam?

Will they be taking scheduled breaks during the exam? Because you will need to either pump or nurse to empty your breasts, prevent engorgement and keep up supply.

Could the sitter meet you for at least a couple of your breaks? Maybe even be near you for the whole day so that, whenever you have a break, you could nurse? (Wait in the hallway or somewhere close by?)

Are there more than one testing date so you can put it off as long as possible so baby is older?

You could use a bottle with a slow-flow nipple, a small soft-sided cup (like comes with Pepto Bismol), a spoon, a medicine dropper, or an oral syringe to get milk into baby while you are apart.

If you are pumping milk ahead of time for your separation, if it will be used within a week, you don't need to freeze it. It will keep for a full week in the fridge.

Check out these links:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

This link is actually on traveling, but it may be helpful to you reguarding separation:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/bfandtraveling.htm

Answer 3

You've got to ask your doctor about giving the baby formula for a day if you're breast feeding. If you plan to pump though, do it over course of the week to get enough feeds as you have to pump AFTER you've breast fed. I think you can freeze breast milk for something like a month and refrigerate for up to two days. The issue though is how you're going to actually make it through the day as you're going to be incredibly engorged and probably distracted by the discomfort. I would consider, if possible, delaying your exam until you're done nursing. If you can't do that, then definitely start pumping a week in advance, buy the freezer bags and then put the freshest milk in bottles. You'll need at least 7 bottles I would imagine, if he's a newborn. But I worry more about how you're going to feel that day and pumping milk will make you produce more milk as you're stimulating your breasts. Please talk to your doctor or consider delaying your exam, if you can.

Answer 4

PUMPING YOUR MILK: A STEP BY STEP GUIDE
All the pieces to your breast pump may initially look intimidating, but it's not hard to learn to use a breast pump. Follow these basic instructions to pump milk for your baby. For more information on expressing milk, see Nineteen Tips for Better Pumping.

Get ready. If this is your first time using the pump, follow the instructions that came with the pump regarding cleaning and/or sterilizing before use. Assemble the pump parts, following the instructions. Sit in a comfortable chair, next to a table that will hold the pump. Have a storage container handy for the milk.

Get set. Take a few moments to relax and breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Think about your baby at the breast. Or imagine yourself in a favorite, calming setting. This step helps you relax so that your milk will flow.

Go. Center your nipple in the pump's flange (or flanges if you're pumping both breasts at once). If the pump comes with several sizes of flange, choose the one that fits the best--not too big, but big enough so that the nipple and areola do not rub against the plastic as you pump. Then operate the pump. If it has several suction settings, try the gentlest one first. You can increase the suction if necessary to get more milk. At first, you'll see only drops of milk appearing in the flange, but after your milk ejection reflex is triggered, you'll see the milk spray out of your nipple.

When to stop. Continue pumping until the milk is no longer flowing. If you're pumping one breast at a time, switch to the other side and pump until the milk stops flowing on that side. Then pump each breast again. If you're double-pumping, you might want to pump a minute or two longer after the milk flow stops to see if you can trigger another let-down and get more milk.

Store it. Pour the pumped milk into your selected container (see Storing and Transporting Breastmilk. Fasten the lid tightly, date the label, and refrigerate or freeze.

Answer 5

If you just need to pump for one day just get a hand held pump and pump a few times after each feeding. Don't be discouraged by the amount you get right away...b/c hand helds are not very efficent but if you only need it for the one day there is no need to spend the $$ on a more empensive pump. After each feeding pump for 10-15 min. you might not get very much maybe an ounce or two do this for a few days until you have enough for the sitter. Keep in mind not to get frusterated with the amount your getting...you baby is getting much more when you nurse and you prob. almost empty when your trying to pump. You can keep the BM in the fridge for 2 days and in the freezer for up to 3 mos. but remember to keep them in steralized bottles or bags with the date on them. Also if you going to be going backmto work you might want to think about getting an electric pump so you can pump both sides at one time in a more effient manner.

Answer 6

First of all, you will not be able to exclusively breast feed your son. You will need him to take a bottle for at least 1 feeding a day to get used to it. You didn't mention how old your son is, but if he is older than 2 months you may be in for some hassle. (usually you need to introduce the bottle slowly around 2 weeks and keep it up for 1 feeding a day, usually administered by someone other than you for a baby to get used to it. ) Keep in mind the baby knows where his milk is, and probably won't want you to give him a bottle.
In order to give breastmilk in the bottle you need to pump directly BEFORE a scheduled nurse. Your breasts should be full enough to make pumping easy. When your son latches on, nursing won't be a problem, your body will make more milk on demand and your son will eat. At the exact same time the next day, your body will be producing "extra" milk for you to pump because the day before you demanded a few extra ounces. It's really amazing how smart the human body is.
It probably would be easiest for your son to get breastmilk in the bottle instead of formula. (you won't need to figure out which ones upset his belly, and get him adjusted to a new thing, ontop of a bottle.)

In order to freeze milk buy playtex plastic bottle liners. (to go in your playtex bottles.) pump, and fill about 2-4 ounces (depending on your son's age) into the plastic bag. You want to freeze it standing up with the top of the bag folded down. (you can paper clip it) You can use anything in your freezer to prop it up.
Frozen breast milk is good for a few months (2? 3?)Defrost the day before in the fridge (not on the counter, bacteria loves breast milk).
Good luck!

Answer 7

there are a lot of great books out there on breast feeding
I believe that experience is the best tool though on this subject anyway

first you need to do your regular feeding of the baby
then right after pump each side
you will get(or should) get 1/4 to 1/2 ounce altogether after each feeding...(some women are really full of milk and get a whole ounce!)
This is great for letting the father feed or if you need to run errands..........how ever what you want to do to go to work for eight hrs. is harder
you are basically going to be pumping in place of feeding
you will need to be given time for this at work
your baby is going to be more used to bottle than breast

freezing is the easy part:
pump...put collected milk into bottle,plastic baggie or Playtex nurser sleeve
then freeze" as is". Take out what is needed for the day and place into refrigerator in morning so it thaws without going bad
freezing is the easy part
you might inquire at work, they sometimes will let the mother go to nurse baby or work out some kind or arrangement

this is going to take you alot...to figure out how nand what works for you ....every women is different.........lots of luck to you and your growing family

Answer 8

Just start pumping a few weeks ahead. If you don't have a pump, you should easily be able to manually express enough for one day. You can store your milk in the freezer. They make ziploc type bags specifically for that purpose. If you are going to try formula for the day I would recommend trying formula weeks before. Many babies reject formula initially.